Palisade, MN

Palisade is a city in Aitkin County, Minnesota, United States. The 2020 census counted 162 residents. The Mississippi River flows through the area. Palisade was incorporated in 1922. Palisade is the birthplace of writer Jonathan Franzen 's father. The main characters in Franzen's novel "Freedom" are named the Berglunds, likely after the Berglund Park Campground in Palisade. That mix gives Palisade a clear local shape within Minnesota, with older layers still visible in current places. The local scoop is a place whose streets, landmarks, and institutions keep its earlier story close to the present. The post office began in 1910. Palisade is located northeast of Aitkin at the junction of Aitkin County Roads 3, 5, and 10. Old State Highway 232 from Palisade to the junction of Highway 65 at nearby Shamrock Township has been deeded over to Aitkin County maintenance, and is now designated as an extension of County Road 3.